#IEDAction

#IEDAction

Sunday, October 26, 2014

Actions Taken To Date 10/25/14


Name of Organisation &
Date
Issue
Action
Status
1.      
Thierry Lasry – French Eyeglasses manufacturer
April 2014


TL is a high end glasses designer and launched eyeglasses called Anorexxxy. 


Launched the first ever Twitter Army action to request TL to remove and/or rename the glasses– as well as over 100 comments on the TL facebook page from our ED community and beyond. 

Started the IED Action Facebook group to address future actions. 

Thierry Lasry acknowledged the mistake and publicly apologized.  They changed the name of the glasses.

Action took less than 48 hours. 
2.
TannyRaw – Online Diet Guru
YouTube Tannyraw

Initiated April 2014

Tannyraw is an online diet guru who promotes a Low Fat Raw Vegan Diet (LFRV).  She also sells online coaching and support.  Channels are Facebook, YouTube, Instagram.  She supports and targets many young people (mostly young women) who are often suffering from or in recovery from ED.  TR claims to have cured her ED through LFRD.  She was brought to our attention by a mom whose 18 yo daughter is recovering from anorexia and was advised by TR to ignore the parent’s concerns, stop treatment for anorexia and continue with LFRV diet.  Hopping on the internet marketing bandwagon TR set up online/in person/phone coaching business. TR has been non responsive and her followers aggressive and threatening.


Request TR to include a triggering disclaimer, to ensure no harm, to acknowledge ED and refer for help.   Advocacy approach is posting on YouTube, IG and Twitter.

Posting warnings and links to ED resources on her channel and page.

Alert the FDA, HHS, APHA, FCC about the dangers of unregulated, non-professional diet gurus in relation to eating disorders.

Alert school officials as TR was daily posting dangerous ED and often sexually explicit videos from the school where she worked with elementary school children.

Contacted over 100 news outlets on Twitter, email, FB.

YouTube removed the TannyRaw channel for several days.  

International coverage by Beth Greenfield at YahooShine which has been picked up by many international papers. https://ca.shine.yahoo.com/blogs/parenting/why-moms-in-uproar-over--banana-girl---raw-diet-gurus-214504853.html


TannyRaw is still promoting and online but no longer claims to cure ED and is very careful about her claims. 

Her viewership has not significantly increased. 

Ongoing:  monitoring her channel regularly for dangerous content.
3

ED Marketing Scams –
Nick Ritchie: Online health marketer
www.nickritchielive.com
Initiated April 2014
Nick Ritchie is an online marketer who has opportunistically developed programs to cater for health needs including weight lifting, weight loss, health and diet – and recently eating disorders.  As with TR he has zero credentials in support for ED.  He works with another Admin Joshua Brenner with a focus on selling online ebooks and coaching supports. Claimed to be able to cure ED and that it was not linked to biology in any way.  Buy his e-book and you can cure yourself.  NR and his admin Josh Brenner threatened a young girl in treatment for AN to the point she called police.

Comments on FB page to request disclaimer for people with ED, trigger warnings, removal of harmful information. 

Posts on Twitter alerting public and requesting removal of harmful ED cure claims.

Alert FCC, FDS, APHA, HHS around dangers of non-professional, online marketing companies providing incorrect information to eating disorder sufferers. 

Letter/email campaign to Australian Dept of Health, Australian Communications and Media Association, Australian Dept. of Therapeutic Goods.

News outlets in Australia.

Letter/emails to Australian tax authorities
NR stopped posting ED focused cure information on twitter, website and FB.

Responses from ACMA and DOH looking into his therapeutic claims.


Ongoing- no action
4
Freelee the Banana Girl
Online diet guru

YouTube, FB, Instagram, Twitter

Initiated April 2014
The diet guru you love to hate,  Freelee has over 200K subscribers on youtube who tune in to her almost daily videos.  Some videos have over 2M views.  She became famous for promoting a fruit only mono foods diet, and later promoting a “raw until four’ diet.    She’s high profile, lots of news coverage both negative and positive, makes load of money through advertising.  She and her partner Durian (Harley) Rider are super self-promoters – shunned now by the old guard raw food and fruit only society because of their personalities and approaches. 

Claims to cure ED among other things.  Targets youth. In private groups counsels young people that losing menstrual cycle is ok and ‘cleansing’, loss of hair is ‘fine’ and sticking to her diet at all costs is critical.  No acknowledgement of ED and biology or evidence based treatment.  Verbally abuses and attacks anyone challenging her approach


Alert FCC, FDA, APHA, HHS and Australia Communications, Tax and Health authorities.

Multiple requests to Freelee to post trigger and awareness disclaimers – no response.

Over 100 news outlets in Australia via email and Twitter.

ACMA, Butterfly Foundation.  Email/Letter campaign to MP Honorable Turnbull

Multiple flags and reports to YouTube for abuse and harm to children.

International coverage by Beth Greenfield at YahooShine which has been picked up by many international papers. https://ca.shine.yahoo.com/blogs/parenting/why-moms-in-uproar-over--banana-girl---raw-diet-gurus-214504853.html

TV coverage - Jennifer

Currently working with others on campaign to address their site.

They are currently being investigated by tax authorities for abuse (this from another source).

Ongoing monitoring.
5
Mirror-Mirror.org
ED Information site
Mirror-mirror is an online resource that had extensive outdated information – parent blaming and lacked up to date info and evidence.
Reached out on Twitter.  Asked them to address the outdated information
Received immediate response from the owner of the site Scott Mogul who agreed and immediately hired a writer (from our ranks) to update the site. It now boasts current information, evidence based, includes focus on family involvement, links to evidence based programs. Scott regularly reaches out to us to ask for input on articles and updates and has two of our members on his staff.  FIVE STARS!

6
Rainbeau Mars – Actress turned health guru

June 2014
Rainbeau Mars, Boulder Colorado is an actress turned health guru and came to our attention through her promotion of cleanses to kids.  She works primarily via Twitter, YouTube, Facebook and her website rainbeaumars.com. Her recent claim to fame are for profit 21 day cleanses and ‘cleanses’ for kids. She was profiled in national news and came to our attention when promoting a 2 week vegan cleanse challenge for kids.


Requested on Twitter, FB, Website, News outlets that Rainbeau Mars (RM) understand the dangers of promoting cleanses for kids – that cleanses are not necessary in general but for children or those predisposed for ED they are very dangerous.
We sparked an online debate – ABC News.  Generated much Twitter traffic.  No overt acknowledgement but she’s not selling a kid cleanse package.

ABC News Coverage on our Twitter campaign
6
La Perla – lingerie Manufacturer

June 2014

Alerted by a twitter user that La Perla had rolled out a bunch of anorexic looking mannequins.
Went viral on a #NotBuyingIT campaign that many of our members and their contacts participated in.

Numerous comments on the news pieces and their FB page.

Lots of global news coverage – members did Education on many of the articles. 


7
Hudson Bay Company
June 2014
Launched a shirt saying “nothing tastes so good as skinny” promoted by Kate Moss.
OUR Twitter Army went viral on this – bringing the whole #NotBuyingIT world into action.

Twitter Army activated, Facebook and news outlets commented on.

Utilized news stories to #EDucate

Got Apology – they pulled the Tshirt. Our group got news coverage.  Statement by AED – more stories than I can fit here.




8
Caf̩ Press Рonline customization company
June 2014
Moms in MAED and IEDaction have reacted to the large number of ED related products on this website that sells self-designed gifts and items.
Twitter approach – reached out to YahooShine
News coverage in multiple places. Some items removed after the news picked up our story.



9
Something-fishy.org
Eating disorder resource and referral site

August 2014
Alerted by members that one of the resource sites often appearing in search engines has outdated and harmful information about eating disorders – specifically heavy parent blaming, lack of findings from research since about 2005, lack of adequate coverage of family involvement etc.    Not clear who actually owns the site – was established by a sufferer, changed hands a few times, was bought by CRC Health in 2006 – it was managed by them until Feb 2014.
Personal emails to the new owner by a few members of the group to try to address the issues.  Subsequent twitter requests to SF owner and CRC Health (who are currently the only phone for SF and referral contact for the IOP and referral services).    Letters by about 20 people to the owner asking for the site to be updated.  Over 200 posts re the issue on Twitter and more than 50 people ‘tweeting.
Ongoing – some members are trying to get contact with SF to ask for change given their presence in the ED community.

Continuing with Twitter request.

Preparing packet of letters to send to CEO CRC Health.
10
J Crew Size 000
July 2014
J Crew retail store rolls out 000 sized clothing.
Advocated getting rid of such tiny sizes – used fb, email, twitter campaign.  Posting on news articles. Worked with many other individuals and organisations. #NotBuyingIt campaign.

Much news coverage – lots of outraged people. However J Crew has defended its position.   Ongoing monitoring


11
Pearson’s  Publishing
August 2014
Major educational book publishing company has questions on dieting in its exams.

Twitter – need to do email and facebook /email follow up
ongoing
12
Glassons
October 2014
Glasson dept store and emaciated mannequins.
Advocated for department store to take down clothing mannequins with ribs showing and challenged CEOs statement about clothes looking ‘better on thin people’ 

Twitter and FB worked with many other groups

Within 48 hours they took down mannequins and issued public apology

10
Whole Foods, October 2014
Organic/health foods store in the US has a policy to give employees with lower BMI a bonus.
Facebook and Twitter – campaign is beyond  IED Action with many others writing them. We want them to remove the BMI incentive.
Ongoing
11
Gap – retailer
August 2014
Gap tweeted a pin-thin model sparking a controvery online
Joined in with many others #NotBuyingIt etc on Twitter. Resulted in a sort of apology by Gap and removal of the thin model – replacing her with a slightly larger one. Sparked a ‘skinny shaming ‘ debate on line.  We also commented on news articles, Tweeted.
News coverage from the Twitter action here – many outlets picked it up. 

12
MOM March Against ED
September 2014
First ever March on Washington DC organized by MAED, Alliance and EDC and Lobby day on the BMI issue and FREED
Actively engaged in sending out the word through IED Action fb, on Twitter and other avenues to increase coverage and participation. Several members joined the social media committee and also did much onsite work along with MAED and others.

CDC agreed to review BMI although Dear Colleague letter still needs more signatures – working on this up to October 27.  

Over 2M people viewed the Tweets, IG and FB posts with over 5 M ‘impressions’ in the week up to and during the event.